I recently bought It Might Get Loud, a documentary by the dude who did An Inconvenient Truth. It's technically about the electric guitar, but it's also a mini-bio about Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), The Edge (U2) and Jack White (White Stripes and Raconteurs). The film explores how they became some of the greatest guitar players ever, and what their creative approaches are.
It's interesting to see how different they are. Page was about exploring dynamic range and a more aggressive sound, The Edge was all about getting the sound in his head out by way of gadgets, and White was all about embracing limitations to do more with less. What these three creative approaches share is that they all force them to push the limits of what they're capable of, and the end result is something special.
This got me to thinking about how I endeavor in creative outlets, and it brought me to two conclusions. The first is that I try a lot of creative things, but I'm not sure if I've really developed any of them to the extent that I can say I'm exceptional. That really bothers me. I feel as though I've spent a lot of time being average and I don't like it at all.
I think some people would say that as a code monkey I engage in creativity every day, and all things considered, I'm pretty good at that. Perhaps. But I don't really think of it as being all that creative because the problems you're trying to solve have probably been solved before, and I find you end up using a toolbox of well established patterns and practices. I guess I just look at it as more of a scientific occupation, maybe just slightly creative.
The second thing I concluded is that I believe my inability to fully engage in a creative endeavor in a hardcore manner is probably out of fear of failure. That's a pretty scary thing too, because I'm used to and accept failure in terms of my career and professional life. But something holds me back from writing another screenplay, designing another Web site, learning to play an instrument, pushing photography to something I've never done, etc.
I've obviously gotta get around the fear and do my best to let out what's inside of me. As a child I was ridiculously creative, and less inhibited. As I've said to many people, some of the greatest joy I've found in life is in the sheer act of creation. I need to remember that so I don't wake up one day with regrets about what I haven't done.
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